Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

Road improvement projects underway in the Basin

WORLAND — The Wyoming Department of Transportation announced several ongoing and upcoming road and bridge improvement projects in the Big Horn Basin.

Two roadwork projects are on U.S.16 between Worland and Ten Sleep. Roadwork will resume on a project between Basin and Manderson, with new guardrails being installed. Significant roadwork will begin on U.S. 20 through downtown Thermopolis. Bridges will also receive attention, including the Bighorn River bridge on U.S. 20/WY789 just south of Thermopolis. Other bridges include a bridge over the Upper Hanover Canal on South Flat Road near Worland, and a bridge on WY31 over Medicine Lodge Creek near Hyattville. The WY37 bridge over Sidon Canal near Byron will also receive repairs.

Washakie County roads

In ongoing work, Mountain Construction Co. of Lovell is the prime contractor of a $3.6 million project that must be completed by July 31, 2020.

The scope of work on the 5.2-mile project includes one inch of asphalt pavement leveling, a two-inch asphalt pavement overlay, a chip seal finish, replacement of guardrail and fence, paving of Cottonwood Street and 1st Street in the Town of Ten Sleep, and a double chip seal of Washakie County roads 20-54, 20-580 and 65.

Paving on U.S. 16 is scheduled in early May, with chip sealing in June.

A $3 million patching and paving project on a different part of U.S. 16, contracted by McGarvin-Moberly Co. of Worland, will begin April 28.

The Basin/Manderson project is occurring between mileposts 187 and 195. The work must be completed by May 15, 2020.

Hot Springs County roads

A $3.3 million highway improvement project is scheduled to begin in early May through the Town of Thermopolis on U.S. 20/WY789.

The prime contractor is McGarvin-Moberly of Worland. The work must be completed by June 30, 2021.

The project’s scope of work includes grading, milling asphalt pavement, placing crushed base and asphalt pavement surfacing, asphalt wearing course, removal and replacement of broken sidewalk and curb and gutter, replacement of every Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) street corner, and other work on 2.6 miles on U.S. 20/WY789 beginning at milepost 130.82 (near the Wyoming Department of Transportation) and continuing past the old National Guard Armory on the north edge of town.

The project is scheduled to occur in stages, beginning May 4, with concrete work by subcontractor McClellan and MacQueen of Worland, required to be completed between WYDOT and Amoretti Street in Stage 1, between Amoretti Street and Arapahoe Street in Stage 2, and between Arapahoe Street and the north end of the project in Stage 3. By contract, Stage 1 concrete work is required to be completed prior to Stage 2 beginning, and Stage 2 work is required to be complete prior to Stage 3 work beginning.

“The contractor is required to maintain two-way traffic at all times,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer Kaia Tharp of Thermopolis. “The contractor is required to complete all concrete work, including ADA work, prior to milling existing asphalt. All work is required to be complete, except asphalt plant mix wearing course pavement, and thermoplastic pavement markings by Nov. 30, 2020.”

Weekly public work progress meetings will occur at 2 p.m. every Tuesday beginning May 12 at the northeast corner of Thermopolis’ lone signalized intersection where the highway intersects with Main Street and the downtown business area. Citizens and business owners are invited to attend the weekly outdoor meetings, and everyone attending the meetings is being encouraged to maintain good social distancing or to wear a mask to the meetings.

Bridges throughout the region

A $1.9 million bridge rehabilitation project, involving five bridges, has started on the Big Horn River bridge south of Thermopolis.

An 11-foot width restriction is in place as of April 20 for this bridge at milepost 128.32.

Other bridges scheduled for repairs include the U.S. 287 bridge over the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River in the City of Lander, the WY432 bridge over the Upper Hanover Canal on South Flat Road (milepost 8.4), the WY31 bridge over Medicine Lodge Creek in Hyattville (milepost 21.89), and the WY37 bridge over Sidon Canal (milepost 246.66).

“By contract, work on the Big Horn River bridge and Middle Fork of the Popo Agie bridge is required to be complete before work can begin on the other three bridges,” said Tharp.